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Red Noses To Target Children’s Poverty

March 29, 2016 Mark Hrywna

The British transplant Red Nose Day will return for its second year in the United States, raising money to fight children’s poverty.

The inaugural Red Nose Day USA last year raised more than $23 million and included a live, three-hour broadcast on NBC. The nine-week campaign will culminate with a live, two-hour special on May 26. The U.K. version has raised more than £1 billion since its inception in 1985.

People will wear red noses in support of the official Red Nose Day on May 26. Walgreens again will be the exclusive retail partner of the second annual Red Nose Day and kicked off the campaign this week by stocking red noses at Walgreens and Duane Reade locations nationwide.

The second annual campaign will expand to include the sale of new red flair merchandise, including red hats, novelty headbands, oversized sequin bowties and red noses for cars. Walgreens aims to sell more than the 5 million red noses that were purchased last year.

The sale of red noses and red flair merchandise, which will cost from $1 to $6, will run through June 4 and began two weeks earlier this year. Proceeds will benefit the Red Nose Day Fund, supporting charities with domestic and international reach aimed at fighting kids’ poverty, including:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Charity:water

Children’s Health Fund

Covenant House

Feeding America

Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

National Council of La Raza

National Urban League

Oxfam America

Save the Children

The Global Fund

Red Nose Day USA is run by Comic Relief, Inc., an independent sister charity of Comic Relief U.K. that changed its name from America Gives Back in November 2014. The organization did not actively solicit contributions before last year’s Red Nose Day USA but sponsored a special “America Gives Back” broadcast in 2007, as part of the hit television program “American Idol,” that raised more than $70 million for hunger relief.

Walgreens kicked off this year’s campaign with actor and comedian Ravi Patel, who arrived at its flagship Chicago, Ill. location in a Red Nose Day-adorned armored truck to deliver red noses and flair.